Edward Gein lived an extremely repressive and solitary life, largely because of his tyrannical and oppressive mother, Augusta Gein. Since early age his mother, whom was extremely religious, constantly brainwashed and taught him that sex was an act of sin and evil. Compared to his domineering mother, his father was weak and alcoholic, who criticized Edward for his unhealthy attachment to his mother. His family homestead was quite poor, and their main source for living was through farming. He kept himself isolated from society by locking himself undisturbed, living a solitary life. When his mother died, Edward was devastated. His murders occurred after his mother’s death. Since his overbearing mother was now gone, nobody was there to restrict and control Edward’s sexual desires. He soon started to become obsessed with sexual fantasies and female anatomy. His fascination of women was because of the power that they held over men
Victim Profiles
Edward’s main victims were usually women similar to his dead mother’s age.
December 8, 1954
51 year old Mary Hogan
Owner of a local tavern.
Disappeared from the tavern she operated in Pine Grove
Bernice Worden
November 6, 1957
Worked in a local hardwired store.
Method of Operation
Edward used a 0.22 rifle to murder his victims instantly. In the beginning, he dug up women’s corpses from the cemeteries to dissect and perform experiments. However, later, he wanted “real flesh”. He skinned his victims and decorated the household with parts of his victim’s bodies. His grotesque methods included using human skins to make dust bins, furnitures, clothes, etc. He was largely influenced by the medical experiments held by Nazis during the Second World War.
"I had a compulsion to do it."
Biography
Edward Gein lived an extremely repressive and solitary life, largely because of his tyrannical and oppressive mother, Augusta Gein. Since early age his mother, whom was extremely religious, constantly brainwashed and taught him that sex was an act of sin and evil. Compared to his domineering mother, his father was weak and alcoholic, who criticized Edward for his unhealthy attachment to his mother. His family homestead was quite poor, and their main source for living was through farming. He kept himself isolated from society by locking himself undisturbed, living a solitary life. When his mother died, Edward was devastated. His murders occurred after his mother’s death. Since his overbearing mother was now gone, nobody was there to restrict and control Edward’s sexual desires. He soon started to become obsessed with sexual fantasies and female anatomy. His fascination of women was because of the power that they held over men
Victim Profiles
Edward’s main victims were usually women similar to his dead mother’s age.
December 8, 1954
51 year old Mary Hogan
Owner of a local tavern.
Disappeared from the tavern she operated in Pine Grove
Bernice Worden
November 6, 1957
Worked in a local hardwired store.
Method of Operation
Edward used a 0.22 rifle to murder his victims instantly. In the beginning, he dug up women’s corpses from the cemeteries to dissect and perform experiments. However, later, he wanted “real flesh”. He skinned his victims and decorated the household with parts of his victim’s bodies. His grotesque methods included using human skins to make dust bins, furnitures, clothes, etc. He was largely influenced by the medical experiments held by Nazis during the Second World War.
Bibliography
"Edward Gein." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June 2011. <http://www.angelfire.com/ca/serialmurder/EdwardGein.html>.